Forgotten Keep and the Western Lands

The Pool of Life

7

FEB/14

The party gathered around the pool and began trying to take water from it but it seemed as if no one could touch the pool water, anything submersed in the water returned dry and no containers could collect the water. While they experimented Gannic started a healing prayer on the group. While they waited for Gannic to finish his prayer Amarae used magic to read the runes on Talwyns shield. It appeared to be four words that had no meaning she or Gilven could comprehend. Gilven cast detect magic and was blinded and dazed from the magic before him. Theoren and Rolf removed the short sword from the skeleton and cleaned the mineral deposits from it to reveal a blade that appeared to be made of solid water. Talwyn and Nemi noticed a ring on the skeletons finger and Talwyn removed it and cleaned the minerals from the electrum band etched with lightning. She then partially submerged it into the pool. When nothing happened she fully submerged it and tried to fill a vial while doing so. When this did not work she kept the ring submerged for a minute before handing it to Rolf who was also holding the water bladed short sword. While holding both the ring and sword Rolf tied to take water from the pool but nothing happened. Nemi, Talwyn and Amarae tried to cut the huge roots encasing the pool but quickly lost their train of thought. Gannic feeling recharged healed the group again.

After Gannic finished his healing he knelt beside the pool and meditated. Then he drank the water from his waterskin and lowered it into the pool. Bubbles rushed from the skin as it filled with water. He removed it from the pool and it felt partially full. He then took a vial and filled it with water from the pool and added a few pieces of hair from Talwyn’s brothers lock. The hair floated on the surface of the water in the vial. With another vial he put the scales of Coreen into the vial and dipped it into the pool. As he did the hair disappeared and the water in the vial changed to a blueish tint. As he passed the vial to Gilven he could see a refracted image of Coreen in the water of the vial. Gannic repeated this with vials for everyone in the party and Lars and Delen. Then he picked up a bone from the skeleton that lay next to the pool and placed it in a vial and dipped it in the pool. A image of a human female appeared in the water of vial. He carefully poured it onto the skeleton and it was encased in a glow of magic. Skin and flesh appeared where there had been only bone and a women with straight dark hair and fair skin opened her eyes and looked around confused. She appeared to be in her twenties. Gannic handed her his cloak and after a few seconds of taking in her surroundings and accepting some water she spoke in Mari. Her name was Eili Storn and she was from the Mari Kingdom. She had come to the pool to cure a sickness from herself and her family but had not been able to draw from the pool. The party provided her some clothes and after some conversation Theoren provided her a rapier but not her sword or ring.

Eili agreed to travel with the group out of this place. They proceeded down the terraced landscape back to the pools and explored the rest of the cavern. On one of the raised ground between pools they found a satchel. After discovering some weak mineral crusts and falling into the steaming pool Theoren managed to retrieve the leather pack and found five emeralds inside along with other rotten and moldy goods.

As the group moved towards the unexplored passageway leading out of this natural cavern they spotted a human peering at them from the dark. After some words and gestures the human approached them but they could not communicate with him. Gannic gave him a torch with light on it and he quickly headed towards the exit.

Moving through the passageway revealed another large cavern with half a dozen pools within. Several other passageways lead out of it to another large cavern with more pools. As the party moved around the cavern four amphibious creature’s heads rose from the pools hissing “Push them in the water” and then dropped below the surface again. Gannic responded by pushing Amarae into the steaming water. As Theoren tried to pull her from the pool Nemi tied to push him in as well but failed. As the group struggled to hit the creatures in the pools with bolt Amarae was slashed open by the hooked end of one of the amphibious creatures tentacles but Theoren managed to pull her from the pool as she lost consciousness. Another amphibian hissed “kill the elves”. As it did Rolf turned and cut Theoren with his ax. Theoren picked Amarae up and fled towards the exit with Rolf hot in pursuit.

Gannic turned and pushed Gilven into the pool. His ring did nothing because Theoren has been wearing it less than ten minutes ago when he retrieved the satchel. Talywn was able to quickly pull him out of the pool as one of the hideous creatures rose from the pool behind him. Gilven focusing on his staff unleashed more energy than he thought possible resulting in a mighty blow which seemed to crack the air as it crushed the creatures shoulder sending shockwaves across the pool surface. The creature dropped below the surface and Nemi and Gannic stabbed and slashed at Gilven. Talywn was able to smack Nemi and Gannic and they recovered from the mind control.

Theoren turned to Rolf and tried to break him from his enchantment by striking him but it failed. Rolf responded with two mighty slashing blows to Theoren nearly bringing him to death’s door. Gannic, now thinking clearly moved towards Rolf and Theoren and launched a sling stone which smacked the back of Rolfs neck waking him from the mind control. As the rest of the group retreated Eili muttered words of magic and a cloud of fog covered their escape. Back in the passageway the group quickly moved back to the pool where Gannic feeling the surge of energy healed the group again.

Comments

this session was more entertaining to read than play i think.. i figured we were all goners for a while there.. If Gannic doesn’t hit Rolf with that sling stone, I know Theoren would have been. Thanks for the good review, GM!